More colleges charging $50,000-plus a year

151 colleges charged annual tuition, fees, room and board totaling more than $50,000, up from 123 schools last year, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

A growing number of colleges are joining the once-elite club of schools charging more than $50,000 per year.

For the 2012-13 academic year, 151 colleges charged annual tuition, fees, room and board totaling more than $50,000, according to College Board data analyzed by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

That's up from 123 schoolslast year, 100 schools the year before and only 58 schools the year before that.

One college even priced out of the $50,000 range this year, charging more than $60,000. Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, N.Y., boasted a $61,236 sticker price -- which includes tuition, fees, room and board -- after hiking costs by 3.5% this year. (Related: Private college cost hits $43,000)

Selective liberal arts colleges like Wesleyan University, Vassar College, Williams College and Bowdoin College were among the most expensive schools, as were Ivy Leagues like Harvard University, Stanford University and Dartmouth College.

In addition to being the priciest schools in the nation, at least 146 of the 151 schools charging $50,000-plus increased their costs this year.

But hikes weren't reserved for just the most expensive schools. Among the more than 3,000 schools in the Chronicle of Higher Education's database, more than half increased tuition, fees, room and board this year. (Related: Colleges with the highest-paid grads)

Costs at Angelina College in Texas surged 46%, followed by a 26% jump at University of West Alabama and a 22% increase at University of Alaska-Southeast. Overall, 40 schools raised costs by 10% or more.

The $50,000-plus Club

College

Sticker price

Sarah Lawrence College

$61,236

New York University

$59,337

Harvey Mudd College

$58,913

Columbia College at Columbia University

$58,742

Wesleyan University

$58,502

Claremont McKenna College

$58,065

Dartmouth College

$57,996

Johns Hopkins University

$57,820

University of Chicago

$57,711

Bard College

$57,580

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education analysis of College Board data. Note: List does not include specialty schools.